Electric switch



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. R. LEAN.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

No. 461,761. Patented O0t.20,1891.

Witr E 5 @W (No Model.) 2 Sl1eetsSl1eet 2.

G. R. LEAN.

ELECTRIC SWITGH.

Patented Oct. 20

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main line wire blocks.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. LEAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BERN- STEINELECTRIC COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,761, dated October20, 1891.

Application filed January 17, 1891- Serial No. 378,077. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. LEAN, of Boston, county of Suffoll ,Stateof Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Elec- 5 tric Switches,of which the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

This invention has for its object to improve to the construction ofelectric switches such as shown and described in my application, SerialNo. 345,125, filed March 24, 1890. The electric switch shown in the saidapplication was constructed and arranged so that when the I 5 loop orbranch wire is connected to the mainpass through the loop or branchwire, and

when the loop or branch wire is disconnected from the main line saidloop or branch will be opened or disconnected before the main line isclosed.

In accordance with this invention, two mainline-wire blocks and twobranch-line-wire blocks are employed, and a switch between eachmain-line-wire block, and also a switch between each branch-line-wireblock and the The branch-line switches are designed to operate to makeor break electric connection in advance of the main-line switch in bothdirections, so that the branch-line switches may be closed be- 3 5 forethe main-line switch is opened and the branch-line switches may beopened before the main-line switch is closed.

One part of my invention has especial reference to the construction ofthe main-line 4o switch, it comprising two members, one of which ismoved by a hand-lever and the other of which is spring-controlled andfollows the hand-lever-operated member when the latter is moved in onedirection and remains at rest when said lever is moved in the oppositedirection. \Vhen the main-line switch is open, the main-line blocks areconnected by a cutout switch of suitable construction, it preferablybeing one of very high resistance, which,

while affording a path for the current,practically prevents suchpassage, and as the strength of the current on the main line is knownthe resistance of the cut-out switch will be gaged accordingly. W'heuthe mainline switch is closed,this high-resistance cutout switch isdisconnected, and hence I preferably employ the same means for includingand excluding the cut-out switch as for opening and closing one of theother switches. hen the loop or branch wire is first connected to themain-line wire, its resistance is very higlnrapidly decreasing, however,as the lamps therein begin to glow, and it sometimes happens that theresistance of such loop or branch wire is so high that when it isconnected to the main-line wire the main-line current will pass throughthe cut-out switch and destroy it, instead of taking said loop or branchcircuit, and hence I provide suitable means whereby the cut-out switchis included in the circuit only after the loop or branch wire has beenconnected some little time, thereby allowing ample time for theresistance of said loop or branch wire to decrease. Various ways may bedevised for carrying out this part of my invention; so I do not desireto limit myself to the particular ways herein shown.

Various forms of cut-out switches are w on the market; so I do notdesire to limit myself to any particular kind.

Figure 1 shows in front view an electric switch embodying thisinvention, the parts being in position whereby the loop or branch wireis disconnected from the main-line wire and the main-line circuit isintact; Fig. a similar view, the parts being in position whereby theloop or branch line is connected to .the main line and the main-lineswitch open; Fig. 3, a front View of a switch, showing a modified formof controlling device for the cut-out switch; Fig. 4, a similar viewwith the parts in a different position, and Fig. 5 a detail of thecut-out switch.

The base Ct is of any usual or suitable construction, preferably ofslate or equivalent. Two main-line-wire blocks m m are mounted on thebase a and are provided with suitable screws, as 2, by which theline-wires may be secured to the blocks. Two branch-line-wire blocks 1)b are also mounted on the base a, and are provided with suitable screws,as 3,

by which the branch wires may be secured to the blocks. Twocontact-pens, as 772 ,0116 just above the other, are secured to themain-linewire block m, which are adapted to receive between them a blade0, secured to a hub 0, (see Fig. 3,) placed loosely on a stud 0 which isattached to or rises from the plate 0 which is connected with thebranch-line-wire block b. The contact-pens m and blade 0 constitute oneof the branch-line switches, by which one terminal of the branch wiremay be connected to and disconnected from the main line. Twocontact-pens b are secured to the branch-line-wire block Z1, one justabove the J other, which are adapted to receive between them a blade cl,formed integral with an arm (1, mounted loosely on the stud or pivot dThe contact-pens b and bladed constitute the other branch-line switch,by which the other terminalof the branch line may be connected with themain line. The stud or pivot d is in electrical connection with themainline-wire block m by a connecting-plate m The lower end of the arm dis cut away or formed to present two projections at 5, (see dottedlines,) and the hand-lever 71., of insulating material and mountedloosely on the stud (1 has on its under side a pin 6, which enters saidcut-away portion and is designed to engage one or the other projectionsa or 5 to move the arm (1 in one or the other direction. The arm (7. hassecured to it a post or stud e, of insulating material, through whichthe rod 6 passes freely, which rod is attached to a block c ofinsulating material, arranged on the post or stud c and a springencircles the rod 6, one end of which bears against the block 6 and theother end against the post or stud e, which acts to normally hold thearm (1' in one or its other extreme positions to the left or to theright, as represented in full lines, Figs. 1 and 2. By the aid of thisspring the arm (1 will be moved independent of the hand-lever after thehand-lever has been moved a certain distance, thereby constituting aquick-acting or jump switch.

The plate 0 is pivotally connected to the main-line-wire block on at 0,to which two contact-pens 0 arranged one just above the other, aresecured, as by rivets 7, said contactpens being adapted to receivebetween them and hold frictionally a blade 0 formed integral with thearm (1. The contact-pens 0 are held in their normal position by a spring0 which bears against the plate 0. The contact-pens 0 and the blade 0formed on the arm d, constitute the main-line switch by which the mainline is opened and closed between the main-line blocks m on.

\Vith the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1, the main-line switch isclosed and the branch-line switch open. As the hand-lever h is moved inthe direction of the arrow the arm d will be turned on its pivot d untilthe branch-line switch closes. The member 0 0 of the main-line switchfollows the blade 0 as the arm d is moved, as represented by greaterthan the strength of the spring 0, and

as soon as said branch-line switch is closed the blade 0 will bewithdrawn from its connection with the contact-pens 0 and hence open themain-line switch. The member 00 will follow the blade 0 until it strikesthe stop-pin 8, after which the blade 0 will be withdrawn. As soon asthe blade 0" is withdrawn the spring 0 restores the member 0 o to itsnormal position, and hence when the hand-lever h is moved in theopposite direction the branclrline switch will be opened before themain-line switch is closed or before the blade 0 will make connectionwith the member 0 0 A metallic block g is mounted on the base a, againstwhich they lower end of the member 0 o bears when in its normalposition, the said block g being socketed to contain a cut-out switch ofany suitable construction, (see Fig. 5,) and on the operating member ofsaid cut-out switch the plate g bears, which plate is attached to themain-line-wire block m. This cut out switch is composed, essentially, ofany suitable high-resistant material or insulating material known in thearts. A block of insulating material, is attached to the rod g havingits bearings in the block g and in the main-line-wire block, said rod gbeing movable longitudinally. The block 9 is designed to control theoperation of the member 0 o of the main-line switch, and when in oneposition said block g obstructs the path of movement of said member andprevents it from making contact with the block 9 and when in its otherposition allows such contact to be made. The block 9 is moved intoposition to obstruct the path of movement of the member 0 o by aprojection 9 secured to the hand-lever h, which strikes the lower end ofthe rod 9 when the hand-lever is moved in one direction, and said blockis withdrawn to allow the member 0 o to return to its normal conditionby means of the spring g, which acts as soon as the hand-lever h isreleased by the operator, the hand-lever being moved at such time bysaid spring-actuated rod and also by gravity of the rod 9 By means ofthis spring-actuated controlling device the member 0 0 maybe made toinclude the cut-out switch in circuit only after the branch wire hasbeen connected a desired length of time, which, it will be understood,is a sufficient length of time to allow the resistance of saidbranch-line wire to decrease.

By referring to Figs. 4 and 5 a similar switch to that above describedis shown; but, instead of employing the spring-actuated controllingdevice for the member 0 0 of the main-line switch, a dash-pot p isprovided, the pistonrod 29' of which is struck by a projection 19 on thearm 61, and the cut-out switch is placed on or contained in the block 19upon which will rest the plate 13', attached to the branchline-wireblock Z), and a spring-arm p proj ectin g from the block 293 andelectrically connected to the cut-out switch, (see Figs. 3 and 4,) theblade 0 contacting with said springarm to avoid a jar of the parts. Inthis instance the dash-pot will retard the progress of the member cl, sothat the cut-out switch will not be included in the circuit until afterthe branch-line wire has been connected to the main-line Wire somelittle time.

The controlling device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is governed by theoperator, while that shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is automatic; yet I do notdesire to limit my invention specifically to either form.

I claim 1. In an electric switch, two main-line-wire blocks and twobranch-line-wire blocks and a switch between each branch-liue-wire blockand the main-line-wire blocks, combined with a switch between themain-line-wire blocks, comprising the member 0 0 and the operatingmember 61, adapted to engage and disengage it, said member 0 0 followingthe memher (1' a short distance when the latter is being disengagedtherefrom, substantially as described. p

2. In an electric switch, two main-line-wire blocks and twobranch-line-wire blocks and a switch between each branch-line-wire blockand the main-line-wire blocks, combined with a switch between themain-line-wire blocks, comprising the spring-controlled member 0 0 andthe hand-opera ed member d, adapted to engage and disengage it, saidmember 0 0 following the member 01' a short distance when the latter isbeing disengaged from the former, substantially as described.

3. In an electric switch,two main-line-wire blocks and twobranch-line-wire blocks and a switch between each branch-line-wire blockand the main-line-wire blocks, and a main-line switch between the twomain-line-wire blocks, combined with a cut-out switch, means forincluding it in circuit, and a retarding device for said cut-out switch,whereby it will not be included until an interval of time after thebranch-line wire has been connected to the main-line wire, substantiallyas described.

4;. In an electric switch, two main-line-wire blocks and twobranch-line-wire blocks and a switch between each branch-line-wire blockand the main-line-wire blocks, combined with a switch between theniain-line-wire blocks and a cut-out connected to one of themainline-wire blocks and in engagement with one member of the main-lineswitch at all times, except while said switch is being operated,substantially as described.

5. Two main-line-wire blocks and a switch between them, combined with acut-out permanently connected to one of the main-line wire blocks and inelectric connection with the other 1nain-line-wire block during the timethe said switch is closed and opened, but not in electric connectionduring the time said switch is being operated,substantially asdescribed.

6. A cut-out and a handoperated switch for disconnecting it from thecircuit at will, combined with a restoring device for automaticallyconnecting said disconnected cut-out with the circuit, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my. name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEO. R. LEAN.

\Vitnesses:

BERNIOE J. NoYEs, ANNIE S. WIEGAND.

